


Such Is Life

by FeelsForBreakfast



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, fluffy canon fix up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-30
Updated: 2013-04-30
Packaged: 2017-12-10 01:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/780134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeelsForBreakfast/pseuds/FeelsForBreakfast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paris is for lovers, for kissing and champagne and the truth. </p><p>From here even the taxis look insignificant, like they’re separate from the world. Like nothing can touch them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Such Is Life

After the rush of the day, the hotel room seems impossibly quiet. They’d specifically asked for a room close to the top and ended up nearly in the penthouse, so high up above the ground it makes his stomach dip when he looks out the window, so high that the eiffel tower doesn’t tower so much as stand at their level.

“We’ve got a balcony.” Louis says with a smile, subdued and soft. Harry likes him this way, a sharp contrast to the chaos of the day. “Think it’s warm enough to sit out?”

“I brought a jumper.” Harry replies, reaching out to brush Louis’ hand as he walks past, pulling a suitcase over to their bed.

“Good, that means I can wear it.” Louis replies, giving Harry a devious little smile as he stands, coming over to thread his arms around Harry’s waist. “S’been a long day.”

Harry sets his forehead on top of Louis’ head, resting his arms on his shoulders. “Yeah.”

“But we’re in Paris.” Louis says, and Harry can tell that he’s smiling. “Remember, last year?”

Harry smiles, warm memories of the one interview they’d been allowed to do together. “Just after Valentines Day. How romantic.”

Louis presses his face into Harry’s collar and Harry can feel him breathe in, and it’s strangely comforting because they’re both still breathing and sometimes that feels like a stretch. “Mon copain.”

“Je t’aime.” Harry replies with a grin he can’t keep inside. He used to be so bad at pretending but now it comes so much easier. He can smile on command, can laugh, can deny any rumor in the world. Sometimes it’s easy to forget which Harry Styles is the real one, but standing with Louis, remembering times when everything seemed so simple, he remembers. “Mon copain.”

“You’re such a sap, little bird.” Louis replies, biting on his collarbone. He doesn’t suck marks anymore, not where people can see, but the birds are his favorite place to put his mouth because if he accidentally bruises it’s harder to see. 

“You’re the little bird.” Harry replies, running his fingers up into Louis’ hair and combing it down. 

“I used to be bigger than you.” Louis replies, resting his cheek against Harry’s chest.

“Used to be.” Harry replies, taking one of Louis’ hands and threading his fingers between his. He has such delicate hands, small fingers and nails he bites when he’s nervous. “Lets go outside.”

Louis smiles, letting Harry lead him out to the balcony, pushing the door open with tired hands. It’s a little chilly out, but staring out at the skyline Harry can’t really bring himself to mind.

Louis drops his hand, heading out to the railing and peering over. “It’s so far down.”

“We’re giants.” Harry replies as he joins him. 

“I don’t know, it makes me feel so small.” Louis says, his voice quiet in the darkness. There are no stars, the sky a velvet black, the eiffel tower golden and bright like the stars all fell and got caught there instead. “I wonder if anyone can see us.” He adds, and Harry sneaks a glance at him, the brush of stubble on his cheeks and the curl of his eyelashes.

“I don’t think so.” Harry replies, because from here even the taxis look insignificant, like they’re separate from the world. Like nothing can touch them.

“I love Harry Styles!” Louis shouts, abruptly breaking silence, his words getting caught in the wind. He turns to Harry, a smile on his face, daring him to go next.

“Louis and I are dating!” Harry replies, smile growing as he catches on. He likes this game, likes the way Louis’ eyes lit up when he spills the secrets out into the air. It makes him feel nervous, nervous like first kisses and boys with pretty eyes because this isn’t allowed anymore. It’s a constant circus now, and maybe he’s the contortionist and maybe Louis is the lion tamer, but right now they’re just boys. Just two boys in love.

“Harry and I fuck!” Louis replies, a cackle escaping his lips. And it takes a lot to make him smile like this, with his eyes squeezed all shut, but he’s doing it now and it makes Harry’s chest feel full. 

“I love Louis Tomlinson!” He turns to Louis, feeling lighter than he has all day. He likes all the fans, all the cheers and the crying but he feels more at home in his skin when he’s alone with Louis. “You think there’s champagne in the fridge?”

Louis shrugs, leaning up against the railing like he’s not afraid of the fall. Maybe Louis is the tight rope walker instead, all sparkles and smiles and no safety net to catch him. “You trying to get me drunk, Styles?”

Harry leans in to kiss him quickly on the mouth. “I might be.”

“Well at least bring me your jumper while you’re at it.” He said, pretending to be irritated even as fondness colors his tone. 

“Will do.” Harry replies, heading back inside and leaving Louis out in the night. The jumper is at the top of his first suitcase, all rumpled up and burgundy. Living out of suitcases gets easier after about a year, and Harry doesn’t quite remember what it’s like to really have a place that feels like anything more than a pocket of safety. Home is less a place and more of a feeling, it’s the way Zayn smokes outside the tourbus when they stop to pick up a quick meal, the way Louis curls himself against Harry after they’ve fallen into bed. 

He throws the wool jumper over his shoulder and walks into the kitchenette, finding wine and a bottle of fancy champagne in the fridge. There are four delicate flukes in the cabinet and Harry snags two, heading back to join Louis on the balcony.

“Miss me?” Harry asks, setting the glasses and bottle down on the little glass topped table.

“A little.” Louis replies, accepting the jumper and pulling it on over his tee shirt. “A lot.”

“I miss you too.” Harry replies, and he knows they’re talking about real things now, about running away to LA so he doesn’t have to face her, about fake hookups and publicity stunts. 

“C’est la vie.” Louis replies with a smile, leaning up into Harry’s body. It’s almost better not to be around him in public because they can’t help this, the way their bodies pull like magnets, how they always end up tucked together. 

Harry smiles, reaching to press his hand to Louis’ chest. “It is what it is.”

“Same thing.” Louis replies, stepping very deliberately on Harry’s feet as he leans up to kiss him. 

“You could just stand on your tip toes, you know.” Harry chides, walking them backwards so his back is pressed up against the railing. It’s thrilling, being so high up with nothing but metal to catch them. “Aren’t you at least going to pour me a drink before you try and push me off the balcony?”

“If you insist.” Louis replies, stepping back and going for the bottle. “I’m shit at opening these things.”

“Just don’t point the cork at me.” Harry replies, stepping to stand behind Louis, curling his body around his smaller frame like he does in the mornings when Louis is fixing up his tea.

“Wouldn’t want to damage your pretty little face.” Louis replies, pressing his thumb tight over the cork and unpeeling the foil. He picks the napkin up from the table, fitting it over the top and twisting slowly, the veins in his hands spiderwebbing underneath his skin, bracing himself as the bottle lets out a out a dull pop. 

“You’re not shit at opening bottles, that was perfect. Ace job, really.” Harry says, pressing a kiss to the side of Louis’ neck. Louis rolls his eyes, wiggling out of his grasp to pour. He fills the glasses up a little too high and they bubble up nearly to the rim, and he nearly spills when he hands Harry his. 

“A toast.” He says, holding up his drink. “To secret boyfriends.”

“To Paris.” Harry agrees, holding his fluke high. 

“To expensive hotel bar champagne.” Louis says with a wink. 

“To all your little things.” Harry replies, winking gaudily as he says it.

Louis laughs, clinking his glass against Harry’s. “Drink before I start asking you about your mind body and spirit.”

Harry laughs, tipping the glass back and taking a generous gulp as Louis shotguns the champagne, slamming the fluke back down on the table when he’s done. 

“That’s impressive, really.” Harry says, taking a dainty sip. “Really demure and ladylike.”

“Because you’re soo into ladylike, aren’t you.” Louis says, pouring himself a more modest portion and setting his forearms on the railing.

“You know me.” Harry replies, falling in next to him so their arms are pressed together. He thinks maybe they’re both the lions, but he hasn’t figured out yet if they’re still caught in their cages.

“Course I do.” Louis replies, resting his head against Harry’s shoulder. “Do you know what we’re doing tomorrow?”

“Nope.” Harry replies. “Don’t you usually keep track of the itinerary?”

Louis actually laughs out loud at that. “You’re really really funny, Harry.”

“My backup career is standup comedy.” Harry replies, nudging Louis with an elbow. “Remember when we actually paid attention to where we were going?”

Louis shakes his head, taking a pensive sip of champagne. “I don’t believe I do. Must have been years ago.”

“Well you could never keep the dates straight, I used to at least try.” Harry replies petulantly. He’s fairly sure they printed out a sheet for this week with a bunch of times and places for them to sing and smile, but for now he’s happy to pretend he has nowhere to be but here. 

“You also tried to keep the flat clean, and tried to keep Niall out of the poptarts, and to keep Liam from stealing all our fucking popcorn. I think everyone knows how that turned out.” Louis replies.

“I still don’t know why he needed five bags.” Harry replies bemusedly, swirling the champagne around in the glass. If he holds it up to the eiffel tower it glows, sending gold shadows down his arms. 

“I think he said something about christmas decorations? Garland maybe?” Louis says, his brow all furrowed. 

“Liam is a strange one.” Harry agrees sagely, leaning over to kiss Louis on the cheek, because he can and because he can’t help himself.

“So are you.” Louis replies, turning so he’s facing Harry, pressing one hand to his lower back to press him closer. 

Harry smiles, stealing Louis’ glass from his hand and depositing them both on the table. Louis raises his eyebrows, but there’s a happiness there, and he creeps his hands up underneath Harry’s shirt like he’s just been waiting for the invitation. 

“Feels like it’s been forever since we kissed outside.” Louis says, pecking Harry on the jawline to punctuate the statement. 

“It has been.” Harry replies, letting Louis press him back against the railing. “I think we should fix that, probably.” He adds, pressing his mouth against Louis’. It’s times like this he remembers why they do all this, because he couldn’t know Louis without wanting to love him, without needing his touch like Zayn needs cigarettes. Maybe it’s an addiction, but he can’t make himself care because he’ll take all of Louis he can get, even if it’s the drug that kills him.

One day he’ll be able to have him every hour of every day, but for now they survive on these binges of each other’s bodies and hits that keep him going for days. 

Louis tastes like champagne and familiarity, and every single time Harry forgets quite how his mouth tastes and remembers like standing up too fast, making him faint and cloudy and warm inside. 

Louis leads the kiss, pressing needy fingertips into Harry’s back and slipping his tongue past Harry’s lips. Harry lets him, lets him take over and push him so hard against the rail he thinks they might crash through. “Careful.” He murmurs when Louis kisses soft against his neck. “Don’t want to fall.”

“Wouldn’t be so bad.” Louis murmurs, hands creeping down to his waistband. “Falling together.”

He thinks that if he could pick his last moments, these would not be the worst ones to pick. He thinks that if he had to die he’d do it like this, curled up in Louis and his love. 

“They’d find us wrapped together. What a scandal that would be.” Harry murmurs against Louis’ neck.

“I think I’ve had enough scandal.” Louis says quietly, tilting his neck up so Harry can get a better angle.

“Me too.” Harry agrees, pulling Louis close so he doesn’t have to think about where his body begins and Harry ends. He misses this when they can only speak through computer screens in late night video calls. He misses the way it feels to hold him close, listen to his heartbeat. “C’est la vie.”

Louis nods, taking a shattered breath in, and then out again. “It is what it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> woop whoop hope you liked it, comments and kudos are always appreciated. <3


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